Should have
by perscribo
Summary: Home from Indonesia and Afghanistan. BB's long awaited reunion at the coffee cart, by the reflecting pool. Do they live happily ever after? Story now complete!
1. Chapter 1

_**Whoa (horse) it's been a LONG time since I've been here. Spin-offs of the finale have been posted by just about everyone, so here's my go at it. This plot bunny just grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go! Oh and one more thing, the finale wasn't that bad, I know a lot of people hated it but I think there's a lot of potential for more storylines next season, so let's give Hart and Co a chance ok? And come on, how hot is Booth in Army fatigues huh? **_

_**Anyways the story, here we go…**_

There was blackness. She tried to feel, but there was nothing, only a blackness that gripped her and wouldn't let go. She was suffocating, choking and gasping, she waited and hoped to wake up from this nightmare, but she just couldn't….

Six months. It had been six months since he had last saw her, held her hand, spoke to her and re-affirmed their promise to meet again in a year. What's a year? A really long time to pass without her apparently.

Time passed quickly enough in Afghanistan, but not quick enough. There was sand, sand everywhere. It reminded him of why he hated being in Desert Storm the first time round. The days were hot and bright and the nights cold.

True to his promise he hadn't had to be a hero, he had only been out of base once, on a scouting mission with his team The rest of his time was spent at base, training soldiers fresh out of college with something to prove. They reminded him of himself so many years ago. In the evenings he played cards, mindful of his addiction years ago, with the officers and thinking of home. He missed home. He missed her. He reminded himself why he had signed up in the first place was to try get over her.

To his credit he did go for drinks with a rather cute journalist twice. But when the question of did he have someone waiting for him back home came up, he was stumped for an answer. Yeah she would be meeting him when he got back, but was she really waiting for him? Waiting for what? To be partners again? Or something more?

The journalist then asked if he was interested in something casual to which he replied he wasn't sure. To be honest his heart felt so scrapped and raw that he didn't have the guts to try even though his head told him he must. He decided it wouldn't be fair to sting her along and turned down a third date.

It turned out, absence _did_ make the heart grow fonder and try as he might, he couldn't forget her. How could he? It was like trying to forget who he was, trying to forget one half of himself.

It was another hot morning putting the new recruits through their paces when he was interrupted.

"Sarge! Phone call!"

Booth froze. The only means of communications with home was through letters and phonecalls were limited to emergencies. Family emergencies. Things like births and deaths. Since he wasn't expecting anyone to be born, it had to be a death. As he jogged back to the Army barracks, he mentally prepared himself for whatever news. Since Bones had headed off to Maluku, he had listed Jared as his emergency contact. If it was Jared calling, then it had to be real bad news.

Arriving at the phone, Booth picked up the receiver, putting it to his ear. "Jared, is it Pops?"

"Hey Seeley. No Pops is fine."

"Parker?" Booth felt a bead of perspiration roll down the side of his face.

""Listen, Parker's fine." Booth breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's Temperance."

Booth felt his knees go weak. His head felt light.

"Bones?" His voice was hoarse.

"Yeah."

"Is she…" Booth thought the unthinkable.

"She's missing. No one has seen or heard from her in two days. The local authorities are gonna give up looking for her. The American embassy isn't putting much pressure on them to find her, they agree with the locals. She's probably been taken by local militants or got lost in the jungle, bitten by a poisonous snake. Whatever the reason, they think it's pointless to keep on looking for her. Cam thought you should know."

"They can't give up. It's Bones! She's tough, she's still out there! They just can't give up!"

"They are Seeley. I'm sorry."

"There's gotta be a way…"

"Hey don't do anything stupid man, going AWOL is a serious crime."

""She's still out there."

"It's been days. Chances aren't good. I understand how you feel, but you're half a world away."

"No you could never understand how I feel." Booth balled his fists. He had to find her.

"Look just sit tight ok? Cam's trying to pressure the embassy into making the locals keep up the search. Once there's any news, I'll cal you."

"Right Jared, thanks for calling."

Booth hung up, his mind still trying to process the information. All he could think off was how she was alone and scared, in pain? He should've been there. If he didn't let her leave this wouldn't have happened. He found his legs moving of their own accord, and before he knew it his hand was knocking on his commanding officer's office door. He had to find her.

"Come in."

"Sir, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Sure Sergeant Major, come in."

"I have to go Sir."

"Excuse me?"

"I have to go."

"Booth, there are lots of soldiers here who think they have to go home, you're the last person I would have expected – "

"No Sir, It's not about going home. I just… I need some time, I need to go to Indonesia."

Booth's commanding officer regarded him as though he had grown a second head."

"I'm not sure I heard you right Sergeant,"

"The woman I love is missing, somewhere in the jungles of Maluku, some island in Indonesia."

"Ah so this is about love. If I agreed to every request about a relationship crisis, half the camp would be gone by now."

"It's not some relationship crisis, it's about her, being missing for two days and the local authorities giving up on finding her. I have to find her Sir. I have to go."

"Let the locals handle it. Get the American embassy involved."

"You don't understand," Booth wondered if he had heard him the first time, "they're giving up on her. I can't let that happen."

"Let me get this straight. You're asking for a leave of absence, to search for your girlfriend who's gone missing in Indonesia?"

Booth didn't bother correcting the misconception. "I'm not asking Sir."

"You know that's not possible. You can only leave when you've served your term. You signed the contract, your one year isn't up."

"I have to find her. She's out there somewhere, scared and alone. Maybe she's hurt, taken by militants, lost in the jungle, I can't just stay here and do nothing. I love her, she has to know, I never told her. I have to find her."

Booth knew he was rambling and his lame I love you in an atta girl kind of way didn't count. He knew his line of reasoning wouldn't convince a hardened career soldier of more than twenty years but he had to try. Five years of being programmed to proctect her kicked in. He would find her, the consequences wold be borne later.

"I leaving on the next flight to Indonesia. You can arrest me when I get back, and I will come back."

"You can't be with her if you're spending the rest of your life in military jail. What about your son?"

"I can't think about all that right now. What's important is that she's safe. That's all that matters."

Booth lowered his head, there was no turning back. He saluted his commanding officer and turned to leave.

"Booth."

He turned.

"You're one stubborn son of a bitch. You're lucky I like you. Truth is I wanna let you go, find this girlfriend of yours and I believe you when you say you'll come back. But you know Army policy. My hands are tied." The senior officer sighed. "Did you say militants? Well I think you've been stuck in this base for way too long. It should be time for another real mission. It'll be good practice for some of our young recruits too. Take two of your men, I want you to go on a search and rescue mission. You have six days. Six days or you and your team would be considered AWOL."

Despite the graveness of the situation, Booth couldn't help the grin on his face.

"Thank you Sir, I really appreciate – "

"Why are you still standing here, your six days start now!"

"Thank you Sir!" Booth saluted his officer once more. His mind was already deciding which two guys to pick, how to convince them to come with him, and how to get to Maluku. He had no time to waste.

_**I really don't know the Army, or any Army terms so pardon me if I got things wrong. I thought there were already a couple of fics about Booth going to war, getting injured and I did a fic like that before, so here's the flipside. I hope ya' all like, and don't forget to review on your way out!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Woo-hoo Lakers won the NBA finals! I'm still in that we are the champions state of mind as I write this so I hope this chapter goes well :p**_

_**I mustn't forget, thank you loads to **__**ehliza**__**, **__**jsiebert**__**, **__**Nedra1212**__**, **__**Evanjalin64**__**, **__**StrawberryFlavoredDeath**__**, **__**xBonesIsLovex**__**, **__**WhiteRose0925**__**, **__**omslagspapper**__**, **__**Alex11215, bones35**_ _**for your kind words and reviews.**_

The blackness had become accompanied by a throbbing pain at the back of her head. She no longer felt numb, and the feeling of suffocation had been replaced by the annoying pain in her head. She realized her hands and feet were bound.

As she drifted in and out of sleep, she realized she had no idea how long she had been like this. Her stomach growled as she realized she couldn't remember the last time she ate or drank. She found she no longer cared if she was soiling herself. It wasn't the first time she was in this kind of situation.

It felt like weeks since she had last seen any of her team, she remembered wandering to the boundaries. Something had distracted her, she couldn't remember what. The last thing she knew she was here, wherever here was.

The six months away from DC had been refreshing. No longer dealing with murder, Brennan found even Daisy's constant chatter more bearable. She thought of Booth often, worried for his safety. If anything her worry for him had intensified. The irony was that the very thing she had been tired of, worrying that something would happen to him, the very thing that made her tired of her work in DC had followed her with a vengeance to the remote jungles of Maluku.

She thought of Booth again. His touch, his smell, his comforting presence. She thought a time apart would dilute whatever emotional attachment she had formed with her partner. It didn't. Her work in Maluku though rewarding never once made her forget the man who had taught her how to live, taught her love. She mentally bereted herself. Booth deserved to be happy, and if he couldn't be happy with her, she shouldn't hold him back. She hoped their time apart though painful to think about had helped him to move on. Selfishly she hoped he hadn't.

The thing that bothered her the most was the blackness. It was so dark she couldn't see her hands in front of her face. She wondered fleetingly if anyone was worrying about her. Her stomach growled again. She felt cold and weak. Even lifting her bound hands took great effort. Where was she? What happened? Was anyone coming for her? Would she die here?

Getting to Indonesia took up an entire day from his six allocated days. Another half a day before he got a boat to Maluku. The trek deep into the jungle to the dig site took most of the night and by the time he got to the team's base camp, dawn was just breaking. He had four days left. Booth was tired and he had hardly slept. The fact that Bones had been missing for four days now made the urgency to find her even greater.

He had picked two Ranger Corporals to come with him, both young but trusted. One of them had been in the Middle East for a year now and cherished any opportunity to leave the desert land. The other was hungry for a chance to see some action.

Daisy welcomed Booth with a hug.

"Agent Booth. Or is it Sergeant Booth now?" She asked regarding his Army fatigues. "Dr Saroyan told me you were coming."

"Just Booth. I know it's early but could you show me the last place anyone saw Bones?"

He was eager to get started. Daisy nodded, chatting away as she showed them the way.

"The day before she went missing, one of the locals working with us thought he might have found something of interest past the boundaries of our site. Dr Brennan and I decided to take a look. To cover more ground she headed west while I headed east. We were supposed to re-group at lunch. She never showed. I waited for her a couple of hours, you know how she is when she gets lost in her work."

Booth nodded, remembering the times he had to make her eat. His heart ached and he reminded himself to stay focused.

"By evening, I sent out an alarm, a few of the team members tried looking for her. We called the local police the next morning."

Daisy stopped. "Here. This was where we parted ways."

"Did they find anything? Any clues?"

"They had sniffer dogs, the trail went cold at a river crossing three miles from here. We have a local guide. He can take you to that river crossing."

"Yeah that'll be good."

"You guys must be tired after your journey here, why don't you come back to camp, you guys can set off in a couple of hours."

It would be a couple of hours his Bones didn't have. He couldn't afford to be tired. However he knew being tired threw him off his judgment. He also knew his team hadn't rested since they got off the plane.

"I'm not tired." Booth replied. "Ron? Jimmy?" Booth nodded at his two Corporals.

"We're good Sarge."

Booth turned to Daisy. "How about you go get us that guide and bring us some rations. We'll scout around see if we can find anything."

"Of course, you want to find Dr Brennan as soon as possible. Statistically, the odds of find her alive are slim but I understand your need to find her and cling to the hope that she's alive."

"Daisy, the local guide, please?"

"Yes of course," Daisy wiped a tear from her eye, "I'll be back in an hour tops."

As Daisy left, Booth turned to his men. "You guys might want to take a rest, catch some sleep, I'll look around."

"If you're not resting, we're not, right Jimmy?"

"Yeah." The more seasoned of the two Corporals replied.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this. We'll just look around, see if we can find anything."

"It's been what four days? If there was anything, don't you think the local cops would have found it?"

"Doesn't hurt to look Ron."

They searched for clues in the dense forest, anything that might help them find her.

"So ah Sarge, this woman, Dr Brennan, she must really be something huh? To have you risk everything to come look for her."

"Yeah she's something."

"She hot?"

Booth smacked Ron on the had, but he smiled. "You might say that."

He fished a photograph of them taken together the night of the opening of the Anoch exhibit from his pocket. He had kept it with him since he left for Afghanistan. She looked breathtaking in her black dress. He remembered his urge to kiss her that night. He handed it to the young Corporal.

Ron whistled. "You kidding, she's more than hot. You didn't look too bad yourself Sarge, in that tux."

Booth laughed. "Wasn't too long ago, that picture was taken."

"Mmmm that little black dress – "

"Corporal!"

"Yes Sergeant!"

"No inappropriate thoughts about Dr Brennan." He snatched the photograph back.

"Yes Sir."

"He's not allowed to have them but I bet you are Sarge."

Booth grinned ruefully, as he returned the photo back to the safety of his pocket "Let's just keep focused on finding her ok?"

"Yes Sir!"

They searched the area for awhile, before Booth decided they should take a break. He sat under a tree, taking a swig out of his canteen, allowing the water to quench his thirst. He thought about her again. He wondered if she was thirsty, if she was scared, injured. His heart ached at the thought of her in distress, his fingers itched to find their place at the small of her back again. He should have been there, shouldn't have let her go off alone.

The sound of Daisy returning interrupted his thoughts. She had returned in less than an hour with their guide, a stocky local who spoke English.

The guide took them to the river crossing. Booth thanked him for his help and turned down his offer to accompany them further. He gave instructions for his men to search the rivers edge while he attempted the crossing. It was the rainy season, and the river was flooding its banks. The river wasn't deep, up to Booth's waist but the current was strong and Booth struggled across.

His pants were wet and the water was cold, his heavy fatigues weighing him down, but Booth pressed on deeper into the jungle. A glint of sunlight reflected off something shiny caught his eye. He hurried to the metallic object. When he realized what it was Booth picked it up with shaky fingers. His first clue, first connection to her. He took a breath to calm himself then examine the object in his hand.

The chain was broken, but there was no mistaking it. The Saint Christopher medal that was once his but now hers. He had given it to her the night before he had left for base stateside. Booth spoke into his earpiece, summoning his team over to him. It was a gamble, which direction to go from there. The jungle looked the same in all directions. Six months ago, he had gambled that she would give him a chance and had lost. He was gambling on her life now.

He studied the dense vegetation. It seemed as if there was a path leading away from where they stood. Booth took a breath, sent a prayer up and pointed North. "That way."

It was almost sun down when they hit pay dirt. A tiny compound, deep in the jungle. Signs of life, smoke from an open fire, laundry hanging on bamboo poles to dry. Booth put a finger to his lips indicating they should be quiet. The three Army Rangers crouched down, creeping forward, careful not to be seen.

A closer look told them it was no ordinary settlement. The few huts were interspersed by men with guns, every single one armed. Booth soon realized they were horribly outnumbered. The militants that the local authorities had thought might have taken her.

"We're not even sure she's in there Sarge." Crouched beside Booth, Jimmy whispered.

"She's in there." She had to be.

"What are we gonna do?"

"We wait." It was what snipers were good at. Watching and waiting, unseen. The Army had trained Booth well, and he was more than good at what he did in the Army. Using his fingers he dug into the dirt, smearing it onto his face. His two Corporals followed suit. Their green Army fatigues helped them blend into the forestation.

"Wait and watch."

_**I'm not sure when I'll have time to post another chapter but I sure hope it'll be soon. In the meantime be patient with me, real life is bee-zee. And keep those reviews coming, I really love reading what you think. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**omslagspapper**__** , **__**StrawberryFlavoredDeath**__** (I thought of indicating change in POV but as you can see as you read on it gets a little difficult to do that), **__**Evanjalin64**__** (Brennan has been out there for many days and Booth only has six days, so he had to find her fast), **__**Dejavu113**__** (I'm not really into cookies, but if you give me Booth I'll post everyday!) **__**I must thank you all for your reviews. And Ger, haven't "seen" you in a long time, so good to read your reviews, they're always constructive and I look forward to you reviewing this chapter. **_

_**And on we go!**_

Brennan was tired. She had woken from another bout of sleep feeling parched and fatigued. She recognized that it was a sign of dehydration. She had nothing to eat or drink since she had been taken. She was thirsty. She never knew she could be so thirsty. Images of cool water, a diet soda, juice tortured her mind.

The throbbing in her head had intensified. Her limbs felt numb from being tied up and from lying in the same position. Her head told her to move, get the blood circulating in her body again but she was too tired to make herself do it.

A noise startled her. The sound of a door opening. A slither of light shone into the room. She forced her eyes open. The light from the outside though dim felt like bright daylight to her. Her eyes accustomed to the days of pitch black felt as if they were being stabbed by the light streaming in from the open door. The silhouette of a man appeared. She watched as he approached her.

He smelled bad, like he hadn't showered in days. Or was it herself she smelt? The light coming from behind him prevented her from seeing his face. She felt his rough hands yanking her hair, pulling her to a sitting position. She groaned in pain but refused to show herself as weak. She felt a soaked rag being forced into her mouth and she sucked hungrily. The water tasted like it had been taken from the sewers, and she fought the urge to vomit. It crossed her mind that the water was unsanitary and she could die from dysentery or something similar but all her instinct was to quench her thirst.

Her face was wrenched from the rag too quickly. She hardly had enough. She felt the man's quick breath as he looked at her up close. She could make out dark eyes and a smirk. Her eyes stung. She held her breath wondering what he man would do to her. Then he let go of her hair and she fell to the cold hard ground again.

The fatigue washed over her again. She was so tired. She watched as the man stood up and left the room, closing the door and leaving her in total darkness again. She didn't care if nobody found her, didn't care if she lived through this. She just knew she was tired and sleep was a welcome escape from her current dismal state. Her last thoughts were of Booth and of regret that he would never know how she felt about him.

By nightfall, the jungle along with the open fire had cast eerie shadows. Booth was convinced Brennan was being held captive in a small hut to the far end of the compound. When the activity in the compound wound down and there were few men left standing guard around the compound Booth signaled to Ron.

"You're with me. Jimmy you keep a lookout. If we're not back in a half hour get help."

The two men slipped down the slight slope, careful not to make a sound. They snuck along the shadows until they got to the tiny hut at the end of the compound. They waited for the guard making his rounds to pass. They crept silently to the front of the hut. To his dismay there was an armed guard at the door.

Booth knew what he had to do. He had once told her he would kill for her. The time to prove it was now. He signaled for Ron to remain hidden and to keep watch. He took a breath and steadied himself like he always did before he pulled the trigger. The Army had trained him to be a killing machine, something he hated to admit but the fact was undeniable.

Noiselessly, Booth crept behind the guard. One hand slipped over the man's face to muffle any sound he would make and the other turned the man's head, snapping his neck. The man fell to his feet on the ground. Hours of watching the militants told Booth he had about ten minutes before the night watch made another pass round this hut.

Booth searched the dead man's pockets finding the key to the shackles. He opened the lock and entered the hut, quickly closing the door behind him. He soon realized it was pitch black where he was. He reached for the small flashlight in his pocket.

With the small beam of light he spotted her on the ground motionless and his heart stopped for a second. He made his way quickly across the ground.

His fingers reached for her neck, praying to find a pulse. He could breathe again when he felt a faint beat against his fingers. He sliced open the ropes that bound her hands and legs then gently slipped an arm under her neck, bringing her to him and cradling her head to his chest.

Her hair was disheveled, and she smelled of her own urine. An anger burned in him and he had the urge to hurt everyone who had did this to her. Days of dirt had caked on her face and dried blood ran down her forehead.

"Bones." He whispered. Getting no response, he shook her gently. He had to make her know it was him and that he was rescuing her. He couldn't risk her waking mid-rescue and making any sound that would bring all the militants upon them.

"Bones, wake up."

Brennan felt as if she was dreaming. She thought she heard Booth calling for her. Her eyes fluttered open. The flashlight on her face pierced her eyes and she opened her mouth to scream.

Booth's hand covered her mouth as she screamed a weak scream into his hand. She bit down on his hand, drawing blood. Booth pulled away.

"Easy Bones! Geez! I would've thought you'd be happy to see me." He attempted a joke.

"Booth?"

"Yeah."

Brennan thought she might have been hallucinating. There was no way. Booth was in Afghanistan. Hallucination was part of severe dehydration, she had to be hallucinating.

"How?" She croaked.

"Shhhh… we don't have time. I'm gonna get you out of here. What I need you to do is to be really quiet. You think you can do that Bones?"

Brennan nodded weakly. Her weakened state bothered Booth. She needed medical attention fast. He crouched down then lifted her, throwing her over his shoulder. She felt lighter than she should. He knew she couldn't be comfortable and also knew once she was fully lucid she would kill him for treating her like a Neanderthal claiming his woman. He smiled to himself as he realized he missed their bickering.

"Hang on." Booth couldn't help the slight slap on her butt as he opened the hut door. He motioned for Ron to drag the dead guard into the hut. They slipped along the shadows reaching the slight slope. The wet mud made it slippery and they struggled uphill.

They made the few yards to where Jimmy was hidden.

"Got her?" the young Corporal whispered.

"Yeah." Booth nodded, shifting Brennan on his shoulder. He noticed she had gone limp again, telling him that she had fainted again. "We gotta get her outta here, fast."

Jimmy led the way, with Booth still carrying Brennan on his shoulder and Ron bringing up the rear. They traveled an hour into the jungle under the cover of darkness. They knew they had to cover ground before they were found out, before the militants came after them. They stopped briefly to put Brennan on the foldable stretcher they had brought along then continue their trek back to base camp.

Just before dawn broke, Booth decided they should rest, not wanting to push themselves to exhaustion, also knowing that the journey had to be the most taxing on Brennan.

He put his two men on half hourly watches, giving the other time to rest. Leaning with his back to a tree Booth cradled Brennan against his chest again. He shook her gently to wake her again.

"Booth?"

"Hey." Of its own accord, his hand moved to brush back the hair matted to her forehead. His fingers probed the back of her head and she winced as they brushed the gash there.

"I'm not dreaming?" If this was a dream she didn't want to break up.

"It's me, in the flesh. You might not recognize me under all this camouflage and mud but it's really me Bones. You're not dreaming."

Brennan managed a weak smile. Booth lifted his canteen to her lips. "Drink up."

She drank the water hungrily.

"Easy." Booth knew from his experience at war he should not let her take too much too soon. He pulled the canteen from her lips. "I'll give you more later."

"How're you feeling?"

"So tired."

"I know baby." He let the term of endearment slip just like on their first case together after his operation, when she had been stabbed, and was bleeding in his arms. Just like back then, he blamed himself for what had happened to her. How had her captors treated her? What did she go through? His mind thought of all the possibilities.

"We'll get you to a doctor soon ok? Just hang on Bones. Hang on."

He ran some water down her face trying to clean some of the dirt off.

"Booth I - " She was afraid she would never get the chance to tell him.

He held his index finger to her lips. There would be time to talk later.

"Rest. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here Bones."

For once since the six months she had been in Indonesia, Brennan didn't feel alone anymore and she fell asleep in his arms.

The hour of rest was up and the group moved again. Morning came with a rain and in the light of day, Booth noticed how pale and weak she looked. He saw the matted blood in her hair, and the bruises on her wrists and ankles. He knew she hadn't been taken without a fight. In the distance the sound of men shouting could be heard and Booth realized they were being chased.

They picked up speed reaching the river crossing where he had found the Saint Christopher medal nearby. With effort they kept the stretcher above water and made it across safely. The shouts got nearer and Booth decided it was time they made their stand.

Laying Brennan on the ground the three soldiers took up positions hidden in the jungle foliage. The rain soaked their clothes and Booth worried if they didn't get Brennan back to shelter soon, she might catch pneumonia. He didn't have much of a choice, if the militants caught up, they would be outnumbered. It would be better to set an ambush.

They waited as a group of armed men reached the river. Booth held his breath, finger on the trigger of his rifle.

In the distance the sound of the rotating blades of a helicopter could be heard. Booth had radioed for help earlier. The militants scattered thinking it was the local Army. Relieved, the three men lowered their weapons.

"Come on, we're almost there," Booth urged his men as he picked up one end of the stretcher and Ron the other.

It was evening the second day they arrived in Indonesia when they arrived back at base camp. The helicopter with the medical team was there waiting. Booth watched as the paramedics inserted an IV into Brennan's arm.

"She needs to get to the hospital fast." Booth urged.

The paramedic nodded his agreement. They loaded Brennan into the helicopter and Booth climbed in, apologizing to his men. They would have to take a boat back to mainland.

Brennan was still unconscious as they lifted off the ground. Booth held on to her hand, bringing it to her lips.

"Just hand on Bones, please just hang on."

_**This is one of my rare attempts at action, those of you who have read my other fics know I mostly write romance. So… don't be stingy on the reviews, click the blue button below, let me know what you thought. **_

_**And those of you waiting for more BB moments, it's coming. Keep reading!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you to all of you who have me on your favorite author list and /or story alerts. **_

_**bones35**__**, **__**doctorsuez, midid**__** , **__**Nedra1212**__** (I don't intend to make this too long a story, I've got other plot bunnies running around in my head), **__**horseninja**__**, **__**omslagspapper**__** (you're right if someone gave me Booth I'd don't think I'll be able to function as a person, on the other hand my shipper heart says Booth belongs to Brennan but I'd be more than happy to borrow him for awhile), **__**hot4booth**__**, **__**StrawberryFlavoredDeath**__** again thank you loads for your reviews, comments, keep them coming I love reading them. **_

_**This chapter is a little longer. Hope you all like! :)**_

The helicopter took Brennan to a hospital in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Booth waited anxiously in the waiting area. While waiting he called home, told Max and Cam of Brennan's rescue. Sitting on the hard waiting room chair in his muddy US Army fatigues drew countless stares but he didn't care, all he could think of was her. After what felt like hours although it could only have been one that had past, the doctor appeared to update Booth on Brennan's condition. Her head wound was superficial, there was no internal damage to her brain. Her bruises would heal. She didn't appear to have been sexually assaulted. However they had been close to the brink. She was severely dehydrated and had they been a few hours later it would have been too late to save her.

Booth thanked the doctor profusely. He was led to Brennan's hospital room. Looking in on her from the door, Booth inexplicably wondered if he should intrude on the sterile environment that was her hospital room. He was still covered in mud and camouflage. So there he stood leaning against the doorway. He was transported back in time, and he remembered the feel of her lips on his cheek when she thanked him for allowing Russ to see his would-be stepdaughter in hospital before arresting him.

Subconsciously his hand moved to his cheek. He had knew then as he knew now he was madly in love with the woman that was his partner. He stood there, thankful that he had saved her in time. He could never live with himself if he hadn't. Watching the rise and fall of her chest, Booth realized he hadn't been more content since he left for Afghanistan. The weight that had been on his shoulders seemed to have lifted.

Jimmy and Ron arrived later with Booth's change of civilian clothes, along with food and coffee.

"Breakfast and a fresh change of clothes Sarge."

"Couldn't thank you guys enough."

"Don't mention it Sarge. Is she gonna be ok?" Jimmy asked nodding towards Brennan.

"Yeah she is. But it was close."

"You gonna stand here all day?"

"I ah.. I haven't seen her in six months, I just umm, I'm not sure what to say to her."

"She's sleeping Sarge. You don't have to say anything. But if I were you, I'd tell her, when she wakes up. It's not like you'll be going home to her anytime soon."

"But you should get cleaned up first." Ron piped in, handing Booth his change of clothes.

Booth chuckled. It was Teddy's ghost that had made him want to tell her he loved her. It was another young soldier who had reminded him. He checked his watch.

"You guys should go check into a hotel, get some rest, enjoy civilization for… " Booth checked his watch. "… the next ten hours."

"We'll do that. Say hi to your hot doctor friend for us when she wakes up."

Booth headed for the bathroom, washing the dirt and camouflage off. Changed into a t-shirt and jeans, he finally made his way in to Brennan's room. He pulled up a chair and took her hand in his, running his lips over her knuckles.

He noticed the color had come back to her cheeks and he could breathe a little easier. He watched the woman on the bed. His Bones. She looked like she had lost weight, and her hair was now shorter. She was a lot tanner too, He wondered if anything had changed between them in the six months that had passed.

He remembered their conversation on the bench. He said things would, had to change. He knew in his heart they probably had. Did she meet someone new? Had she thought about them? He knew their time apart had been significant and there was no way they could pick up as if they never left.

He watched as she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and close. She groaned and moved a hand to shield her eyes.

"Hey Bones. Welcome back to the land of the living."

Brennan turned her head. For the first time in six months, blue eyes locked on to brown. A minute passed maybe two but they didn't care. A lifetime of emotion passed between them wordlessly. Emotions like anger, fear, relief, want and most importantly love. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Booth, I thought I was dreaming."

"How many times I gotta tell ya? It's me in the flesh. Not quite the coffee cart by the reflecting pool back in DC but I guess a hospital room in Jakarta would have to do."

"How long was I taken?"

"Four days."

"It felt like weeks. How did you find me?"

"Cam called Jared, Jared called me, and here I am. I'm beginning to think you have a thing for me, your white knight in shinning armor coming to rescue you, my damsel in distress."

"I'm not your damsel in distress!"

Booth laughed. His Bones was definitely back.

Brennan's body felt stiff. She ached everywhere. She licked her dry, chapped lips. Seeing Booth in the same room with her felt surreal. She closed her eyes, feeling a barrage of unwanted and suppressed emotion wash over her. She had missed him and seeing him, in person made her miss him even more. The dam that was barely holding back her emotions in the past six months seemed to have crumbled. Had he moved on? Why was he here? Loyalty? Was he still attracted to her? She suddenly felt insecure. She wasn't used to feeling unease in his presence. This new feeling was disconcerting.

"Thirsty?"

Brennan opened her eyes. "Yes, very."

Booth moved to help her sit up in bed. She closed her eyes again, feeling nauseous and dizzy. When she opened them Booth had a straw held to her lips and she took a sip of water. He smiled his charm smile and her traitorous heart did a little flip. She wasn't supposed to cling on to him. But oh how she wanted to.

She wondered if he had got into trouble to come find her. "How did you get permission to come look for me?"

"I threatened to go AWOL."

"You're AWOL?"

"Threatened Bones."

"And it worked?"

"Yeah sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I have to go, tonight. I was given six days and two men to come find you, and those six days include flying here and back to Afghanistan."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I know. I wish we had more time. My guys, the two of them who helped, they wanted me to say hi."

"You need to thank them for me."

"Already did."

There was a moment of awkward silence as if both didn't know what to say although the weight of the unsaid hung heavily over them.

"I missed you Booth." She risked it. Her heart out on her sleeve.

"I know. You have no idea how much I missed you too." Relief, he felt the same.

"Listen you're tired, get some rest, I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Yeah I promise."

Booth watched as she closed her eyes. She opened them again.

"I'm still here."

"I know I just remembered, I bit your hand."

Booth smiled. "Can't beat the time you shot me."

"I didn't shoot you, the bullet ricocheted off my Wonder Woman costume."

"Glad to know the blow to your head didn't wipe out your memories."

Brennan smiled. How he had missed that smile.

"Get some rest. We'll talk when you wake up."

Brennan lay back down in bed, sleep soon claiming her. She woke to the sound of Booth's voice.

"Wake up sleeping beauty."

"What?"

"The nurses thought you might be up to trying some soup."

Brennan sat up still dizzy but glad her eyes no longer hurt in the light. She allowed Booth to feed her a few spoonfuls of soup before deciding she was up to feeding herself.

Her stomach somewhat sated she turned to study Booth. He looked very tanned, his tight fitting t-shirt revealing some weight loss. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a day or two with the scruff on his face and she decided she liked that look on him. She detected a sadness in him. She knew that look.

"You killed someone for me didn't you?"

"It wasn't a big deal."

She remembered Bren and Mr B from the book she wrote while waiting for him to wake form his coma. Bren had thought that Booth would kill for her then lie about it to make her feel better.

"It was a big deal."

"For you it was worth it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. All that matters is you're safe."

"Thank you for coming to get me."

"Jared said they were giving up on you. I couldn't let that happen."

Brennan felt tears sting her eyes.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I hardly remember the day I was taken. I remember men with guns shouting angrily at me, someone hit me on the head. I remember waking up to total darkness, thinking I would die. Not sure if anyone would find me."

Booth moved to wrap her in a hug. He sat on the edge of the bed, tipping her chin towards him with his finger.

"I told you Bones I would always, always come for you."

Their eyes locked again, Another moment. It felt like old times. Booth's words rang in her head.

"You said things had to change." She was scared. She wanted him to still love her so badly. "Have they?"

"I don't know Bones. I honestly don't."

"Have you Booth? Moved on?"

It hadn't been a year yet, but the fact that he had to leave soon forced her to feel a need to express herself. To come clean with him. His hesitancy in answering her question made her anxious. She continued.

"I thought that coming here would make what I felt for you lessen. It had the opposite effect. I found myself worrying about you all the time, I thought about you when I wasn't occupied with work. This isn't the first time I've been close to death but this time when I thought I wouldn't see you again I realized I hated myself for not giving you a chance. For not telling you. The first couple of months I was here, I couldn't wait to get home to meet you again, but as time passed I began to dread it. I was so scared I would go home to find you out that you had moved on."

"I tried Bones. I tried. But I just couldn't."

Brennan nodded, selfishly relieved.

"Have you?" He ventured.

Brennan shook her head. She hadn't even tried.

"I told you that I didn't know how to change. But the truth is I was wrong. This time apart, this time away form you, the Jeffersonian, I realized I have changed. But the change didn't occur after I got here. It happened, slowly, gradually, over the years since the day I met you. I still can't guarantee that I'll love you in fifty years but I know I have loved you for some time now. Even before we went our separate ways. I was just too scared, too afraid to trust even myself. You said you wanted to give this a chance. I think now that I find myself agreeing with you. We should give this a chance."

"Us?"

The tables had turned, the roles reversed.

"Yes us. Please?"

He could never say no to her, especially when she looked so sad.

Her next move caught him by surprise. She moved to kiss him, like that night when he kissed her and she had turned him down. This time he didn't push her away. This time he responded and they kissed, conveying their relief, their hope, their dreams, their hurt, their love.

When they pulled away form each other, they were both out of breath. They shared a warm smile.

"Yeah I think we can give us a chance."

Booth's heart thudded wildly in his chest. He was getting the one shot with her he had always wanted. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. It all felt a little sudden and he felt overwhelmed.

"You need your rest."

She moved to make room for him on the bed and he slipped under the covers with her, taking her in his arms. "I'll wake you before I go, and we'll talk more."

"Ok." She tilted her head up kissing him again.

Snuggled in his arms she fell asleep, feeling as if all would be right from here on.

_**Are things gonna work out for BB with them being in separate continents? Would they live happily ever after? Keep reading to find out. **_

_**Keep them reviews coming! I had only 3 hours of sleep so do let me know how I did.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey I'm back all. Thank you those who favorite me, my story, added me to your story alerts. **_

_**A special mention to each and every one of you who reviewed. Ger (sorry I missed you out in the last chapter but I really value your lengthy reviews, your opinions), wazo29, **__**Alex11215**__**, **__**jsiebert**__**, **__**Evanjalin64**__** (I don't care who helps get them together in the show, I just want them to already!), **__**sassybee**__** , **__**horseninja**__**, **__**Dejavu113**__**, **__**aracely6**__**, **__**Chicklit**__**, **__**hot4booth**__** thank you for your reviews. Glad you al thought I did pretty good on 3 hours of sleep. **_

_**Hope this chapter's just as good, I had a full night's sleep this time.**_

Booth was exhausted but he didn't allow himself to sleep. He would have plenty of time for that later on the flight back.

He studied her sleeping form. She looked so relaxed. The fact that he had to leave her in a few hours bothered him greatly. He felt as if he was letting her down. It felt like a promise he couldn't keep. He worried for her safety. He couldn't be there for her. What if something happened to her again? He made a mental note to do something about security around the dig site. He knew there would be no convincing her to go home to DC.

His thoughts shifted as he studied her. He had a moment of clarity. His heart couldn't afford to be broken by her again. Was it their circumstance, the relief from being saved from death that sparked her confession? Had it been the effects of her dehydration? He believed she had changed, had he? Was he ready for her? Could he still be the man she deserved? Fact was she needed him the most right then but he had to go.

He was suddenly insecure, doubtful and unsure. When it came to her, he had never been more certain of anything else in his life. She was _the_ one. There was no doubt, but being in the Army, in a war zone changed him. He knew it would continue to change him. He still had six more months to serve. Would he be able to come home to her unscathed? Would he survive his remaining tour in Afghanistan?

He had wanted this, a life with her, but he was wary of his power over her. Of her power over him. He knew one wrong move and he could hurt her more than anyone else in the world could. He knew she could do the same to him. The pain from her rejection the first time he asked for a chance still felt raw in his heart.

It was then that he realized what he had to do. It wasn't going to be pleasant but it would be for the best. He would be protecting both their fragile hearts. He knew he would hate himself for it when he walked out the room door but it had to be done.

Booth checked his watch. He needed to leave soon. They had to talk.

"Bones. hey."

Her eyes opened. She smiled a lazy smile. She moved to kiss him again. Then her expression changed to something more serious.

"You have to go?"

"Yeah, soon."

"So fast."

"Yeah."

"Listen Bones, there's something I need to say, before I go."

He sat up and she sat up next to him.

"I don't suppose I could persuade you to go home?"

"I made a promise I'd be here for a year. It's a promise I intend to keep. The work here has been fruitful and rewarding."

"I didn't think you'd agree anyway." Booth smiled ruefully.

"Just promise me, no more wondering off on your own ok? I don't know if I can pull this stunt again, coming to get you."

She nodded. "And no hero stuff for you too."

"I'll try."

"I just need you to know that I love you." There he said it, no lame excuse this time.

She smiled. "I know."

"Good cos, I don't want you to get me wrong."

"About what?"

"Listen Bones about what you said just now about giving us a chance? I just think, this isn't the right time."

"What? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying let's not do this, us, not now."

"But – " Brennan's heart broke. She felt defeated. Was she too late? She remembered something Angela said about all men being scared to commit. That didn't seem like Booth. "I'm not asking for you to love me in thirty or forty or fifty years. Just a chance at us, that's all."

"No Bones you got me wrong. I know I'll still love you in thirty or forty or fifty years."

He took her hand in his but she pulled her hand away.

"This doesn't make any sense."

Booth sighed. "You've been kidnapped, dehydrated, we're half a world apart from each other. Now's not the best time to start anything. Cos us, we should be for keeps. I'm not saying no, I'm saying wait. Let's think about this carefully and not rush into things. We've had some five years now, what's another year?

It was ironic that Booth was all brain now and her all heart. It was his turn to ask her not to look so sad.

"Don't be upset. I know exactly how you feel right now, believe me I do. Don't get me wrong I still wanna be with you, for the rest of my life but I need you to be sure. You have to be sure this is what you really want. Turns out you're not I might not survive it."

"It's what I want Booth."

"I love you Bones I always have, and always will. I want you to think about us, about what you said, about what you really want. Six months from now, I will still see you, at the reflecting pool at the mall by the coffee cart. And we'll talk about us."

"Is this some test? Are you punishing me for turning you down when you asked? I don't understand."

"You know you were right about me needing protecting. I won't survive it if we don't work out. I know you won't too. So we have to be sure. No, I'm not punishing you. Hurting you was never my intention. I'm so sorry Bones. Sorry for the situation we're in, sorry I can't be here tonight or tomorrow or two weeks from now, to help you deal with this, being taken captive again. I'm sorry I can't be the man you need and deserve right now."

The tears were rolling down her cheeks. He pulled her to him and she cried softly into his shoulder. Booth wiped a tear form his eyes, then took her by the shoulders, gently pushing her back. He stood up, straightening his clothes.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you. It's the last thing I wanna do but I gotta go. Maybe you'll write me when you're up to it huh?"

"I will write you."

Both offered a sad smile. In their six months apart they had never once communicated with each other. He dug in to his pocket. He placed the Saint Christopher medal he found in the jungle in her open palm, closing his hand over hers.

"I love you Bones, don't ever forget that."

His words felt hollow to her in light of what he just said.

He let his finger run a trail down the side of her face, wiping the tears that were still rolling down her cheeks. He hated himself more than he ever did in that moment. She was weak, vulnerable and he was leaving her."

"At the reflecting pool – " he choked back tears.

"By the coffee cart, I know." A strange sense of déjà vu fell over her.

"I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me then."

He turned his back to her and took his first steps away from her. It was the airport six months ago, all over again. Only this time she called to him.

"Booth."

He turned.

"I love you too."

This time he smiled, then turned and walked out of the door.

Brennan watched the only man she ever loved walk out. She was the teenage girl on Christmas morning again, and the tears flowed freely once more.

_**Don't hate me! There has to be some angst right? And don't hate Booth, he was only protecting them and wanting to be sure. **_

_**Review, review, review! It's kinda short I know but I needed a break between this chapter and the next. Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**So I hadn't intended to get a new chapter up and posted so soon, this chapter felt like I wrote it in a rush. **_

_**But again thank you to lukablue, sassybee, **__**jsiebert, horseninja, lil' boothy, freelancer73, Dejavu113, Tartantrace, bones35, ellemae17, my dearest Ger, aracely6, csimesser1, omslagspapper, nertooold54, wazo29, Evanjalin64. Your reviews are so appreciated. Don't stop with the reviews and comments you guys. **_

_Indonesia_

"Hi honey."

"Dad. What are you doing here?"

Brennan turned from packing her bag in the hospital room. She was about to be discharged that day.

"I haven't seen you in a long time and I thought you might like a visit."

"That isn't the truth."

"I'm just glad you're safe."

At the emotion in her father's voice, Brennan's tone softened.

"It's good to see you Dad, but what's the real reason why you're here?"

"Well ok, how about this? My future son-in-law was worried sick about you so he asked if I could come keep an eye on you till security around here was tightened."

"I don't know what you're talking about Dad. I have not received any marriage proposals from anyone."

"Oh I'm quite sure someone would ask you to marry him in the future, and we both know who that someone is."

"I've been here for there days, I'd like to get out now."

"Yes of course honey."

Brennan turned back to her packing. Max walked up to her and sat down on the hospital bed.

"Tempe, much as he wanted to, you know he couldn't stay."

"Dad, I don't want to talk about it."

"You've got to stop avoiding it. If you don't want to talk about it now, then when? Till the both of you are as old as I am? The man loves you but if he waits for you that long he ought to be made a saint or something."

"Fine! You want me to talk? I'll talk!" The truth was Brennan had thought about it and it hurt. "All that talk he gave me about someone for everyone, about love and it being forever, about not leaving me. He left." A tear escaped her eye. She sat down next to her father. Defeated. "He left."

Max pulled his daughter to him for a hug.

"Oh honey, I know you're hurting. It'll get better I promise. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry your mother and I had to leave you. At the time it was the only way to make sure you and your brother were safe. I'm sorry us leaving you and you being in foster care made you think you can no longer love or trust anyone. I'm sorry you feel this way every time you let someone get close to you. Believe me honey, leaving you and Russ was the hardest thing I had to do. I know leaving you was the hardest thing Booth had to do."

Brennan looked at her father. "Is it worth it?"

She posed the same question she had to Booth some years ago. If this was what loving someone was about she couldn't understand why anyone wanted to be in love since it hurt so much.

Max's answer to her was the same as Booth's.

"Yes, every minute of it. I know you can't see it now but you and Booth are going to be alright. You both are going to see each other again, back home, and you two will talk and you will work things out and live happily every after and give me more grandkids."

The thought of her and Booth back home made her heart ache and warm all at the same time. Brennan offered her father a weak smile.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Booth loves you. He loves you so much. I could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at you, the very first time we met, I knew, he was the man I could count on to take care of you. He loves you so much he would find a way to make you two work out."

"He said he wanted me to be sure. He didn't want me to be hurt. He said he didn't want to be hurt by me again. What if… what if he's punishing me for saying no to him when he asked for a chance?"

"Honey you know Booth doesn't do that."

Brennan nodded. She knew her father was right. She wanted nothing more than to be with Booth at that very moment. She wanted so much to start a life with him.

"I worry about him all the time. It's not a comfortable feeling."

"I know. I'm sure he's there worrying about you too. That's why he sent me."

"I can't." Brennan shook her head. "I can't have him worrying about me, I can't have him lose his concentration. He's in a war zone."

"He'll be fine. He'll come back to you. Six months will go by so fast."

Brennan nodded not really believing it to be true. The three days without him had felt like weeks. But she made herself a promise, she would think about things. About them, about what she wanted. She would keep herself safe, and continue her work and get home to meet him.

"I just want to get out of here, check into a hotel and find my way back to Maluku. To get back to work. The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can go home."

Max nodded his understanding. He planted a kiss on her cheek, stood up and took her bag. "Let's go."

Security around the dig site intensified a few days after Brennan returned and Max flew home to DC soon after. Brennan thought of Booth, continuing to worry for his safety. She had heard news that the war there had intensified. She worried Booth would be asked to do more than train soldiers. It was three months later that she had the courage to write him.

_Afghanistan_

"We stop here for the night. Set up a perimeter, I want everyone on two hourly watches."

"Yes Sergeant."

Booth had been asked to do more than train soldiers. Insurgents had been busy lately, setting off car bombs and attacking convoys patrolling the towns. There was a local who had offered to be their informant. Booth's team had been asked to pick the informant up. They waited hours for the man who didn't show. When Booth received orders to stop waiting, it was dusk and the sun was setting.

He had decided it was too risky to drive back to base in an area riddled with land mines and insurgents waiting to ambush them. They would have to spend the night in town. It started to get dark and he knew they were away from the safety of base. Anything could happen in the dark. They had found an empty house and were to rest there for the night.

Booth sat in a corner of the empty house, not letting his guard down. He took a swig from his canteen, then set his rifle down for the first time that day. He knew he would not get any sleep that night.

He reached into the pocket of his uniform. Finding the letter he had just received that morning just as his team was about to set off. He had not had the time to read it. The postmark told him it had to be from her. The letter had come from Indonesia.

The first month back he waited for her letter. It never came. He had just about given up on her writing him when the letter arrived.

Under the light of his small flashlight, Booth opened the envelope. He pulled out a letter.

_Dear Booth, _

_I hope this letter finds you well. You would be happy to know that I am well and in good spirits and health. We're wrapping up the work here and we should be headed home soon. Thank you for sending my Dad here. It was good to see him. Security here has been stepped up so you needn't worry about my safety._

_As the time nears for us to meet, I find myself thinking more and more about you, about us, and what you said. I want to be sure, about what I want, about us. I hope when we meet I will have an answer. _

_Do take care, and I will see you soon. _

_Bones. _

Booth folded the letter and brought it to his lips. He took in a breath as if his actions might bring him closer to her. Not a day went by he didn't miss her. He knew now with more conviction that his decision was the right one. He knew his feelings for her hadn't changed. He wanted to be the same man he was before they went their separate ways. The man she loved and who was madly in love with her. But he knew he couldn't. The war had changed him, made him hard, he had to, he had taken lives which when he signed the contract was told he was unlikely to have to.

It started with the man who had stood guard at the hut where Brennan has been held captive. Then there was the man his commanding officer sent him to eliminate. After all, Booth's skills as a sniper was renowned. After the third insurgent Booth took out in a firefight months ago he had become numb. Numb to the war, to the blood he had spilled. To the look in their eyes when they realized they were about to die.

He thought of how he had broke her heart, that day in Indonesia. It was their one day together in six months. Had he blown it with her? Her letter gave him no clue as to what she was thinking; only that she would have an answer for him. He hoped in his heart, her answer would be good. He hoped she could forgive him, for the blood on his hands, for leaving her, for turning her down and asking her to wait.

In the distance the sound of gunfire neared. Booth tucked the letter back into the safety of his pocket and picked up his rifle. He willed his mind to shut out anymore thoughts of her, about how she would feel about him three months from now. His only thoughts would be of survival, so that he could go home to her.

_**And the angst continues, but we'll fix things soon. Promise! The story would be coming to a close soon, and I already have something else in mind to write. I just am in BIG time Bones withdrawal now. Sad face. Isn't season 6 here already?**_

_**Don't forget to click the review button! Help me feel better!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Another quick chapter from me.**_

_**Thank you for all the reviews. Glad you all liked Max's appearance, he's such a big BB shipper I like him lots. A big THANK YOU to **__**Evanjalin64, horseninja (don't worry this story's gonna get resolved real soon), sassybee, **__**nertooold54, Tartantrace, Lunalovesbones, aracely6, mendenbar (I try my best to keep everyone in character, so really glad you think I managed to, oh and I'm not giving out Davids as well), Alicia9876, hot4booth, Ger (agree next to Booth, Max is best for looking after Brennan, how's Booth gonna turn out, well you all wait and see!), xoxokiss210, bones35 (right on about Max!), wazo29 (I'm sorry if you're getting upset about Booth, just keep reading to find out what happens!)**_

**_Be nice I wrote this chapter in a rush while my little kids were napping!_**

She sat on the bench by the reflecting pool in the mall by the coffee cart. The day had started with two cups of coffee in her hands but as the day wore on and she realized she had drank more than her usual share she stopped. Just sitting there, watching the rest of the world go about their business, all the time having a sinking feeling in her heart.

By evening, she had disappointedly come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to show. She tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. Maybe he had been held up, his flight delayed. An emergency with Parker? Hank? Did he not show up because he had been wounded? Or worse, dead?

The thought made her depressed, upset and she lowered her head. A pair of Army boots came into view. But something didn't quite add up. She lifted her head. The face that confronted her wasn't Booth's.

"Dr Temperance Brennan?"

"Yes." She couldn't hide the tremble in her voice.

"Sarge wanted me to give you this."

The man in the Army fatigues standing in front of her handed her an envelope. It looked crumpled, like it had been kept in the soldier's uniform for a significant period of time.

Brennan couldn't stop trembling as she stood to take the letter.

"You best sit down while reading it M'am."

Brennan sat down. She was almost afraid to ask. "Where's Booth?" Her voice barely audible.

"Well, he couldn't make it Ma'am. Sarge, he wanted to be here, he really did. All he could talk about the last couple of weeks before we were to come home was coming here to meet you. Couple days before we were to return stateside there was this one last mission. I broke my arm in training and I couldn't go with them."

The soldier held up his arm which was in a cast to illustrate his point.

"The Sarge he gave me this letter, told me to meet you on this day, this time, give you this letter if he - " the soldier choked on his words.

The tears started rolling down her cheeks before he finished his sentence. " - he, there was an ambush. I'm sorry Ma'am. Sergeant Major Booth was killed in the line of duty four days ago."

"No!"

Brennan sat up, her breathing ragged, drenched in her own sweat. For a moment she was disorientated. Then the ringing of her alarm clock brought her back to reality. _It was a dream, only a dream. _

She had this recurring dream at a disconcerting frequency and it had plagued her sleep for the past few nights. She hit the snooze button on her alarm and walked to her bathroom to get ready for the day ahead. Brennan had been back in DC for a month now and had moved back to her old apartment. She had returned to her job at the Jeffersonian but things weren't quite the same without her friends. Angela and Hodgins were due to return the following week. Cam was the only familiar face there and although her boss had been more than overjoyed to see her, and gave her some sense of familiarity like one year ago, work was never quite the same without the people she cared about the most. Without Booth.

Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror her stomach did a nervous flip. Today was _the _day. He had to show.

The Temperance Brennan that stared back at her in the mirror wasn't the same as the one a year ago. Her hair might be shorter, her skin tanner but those were just the exterior. Inside, she had changed as well. She had given things alot of thought. She knew with certainty now what she wanted and she had the answer she had promised Booth in her letter.

The fact that he never wrote back bothered her and she worried for his safety. She didn't even know if he had received her letter.

Moving through her house that still had boxes of unpacking left, her eyes came to rest on the pink toy pig, Jasper, sitting on a shelf beside an ancient jar from Tibet. Jasper had been a gift from Booth years ago. She smiled, picking up the toy and brushing off the dust. On the other side of Jasper stood Brainy Smurf.

Memories of the times she spent with Booth suddenly came to her in a rush.

Their first tequila tasting kiss in the rain.

"I know who you are." The day she hugged him in that barn so many years ago.

"There's more than one kind of family Bones." Outside the diner, his finger under her chin.

His hand on her shoulder as they watched Max and Russ drive off without her again.

"Everything happens eventually, you just gotta be ready for it." Him looping his arms round her shoulders on the dock as Sully sailed away.

"I thanked God for saving us." His hand reaching for hers in the dirt, pulling her to life, digging her out of certain death.

Helping her fix things with Max.

Blackmailed by Caroline Julian. Their kiss under the mistletoe lingering in her brain as if it was yesterday.

"There's someone for everyone, you just gotta be open enough to see it." His eyes burning into hers.

His confession of almost killing himself when he was a boy if not for his grandfather.

"I love you Bones... in an atta girl kind of way."

Their almost kiss the night of the opening of the Egyptian exhibit.

Her undressing him in the bone room.

"I knew, right from the beginning. I'm that guy Bones, I'm that guy. I know." Their emotionally charged kiss a little more than a year ago when she turned him down after their session with Sweets and sparked the point of no return.

"I gotta move on." Words that cut her deeper than a knife.

"One year from now, at the reflecting pool, by the coffee cart."

The time was now, the one year was up. Booth had told her he knew. He knew right from the beginning. She knew now too.

"He knows the truth of you and is dazzled by that truth."

The psychic's words were the last she thought of as she got ready to set off for her meeting with the only man she ever loved.

_**I only picked certain BB moments to mention, things I thought significant and my brain can dredge up. If I listed every significant BB moment, this chapter would go on for pages! Again I hadn't intended on this chapter but I had to write something on BB moments so this chapter came to life!**_

_**I promise, next chapter, everything gets resolved. You'll find out what happened to Booth, I'm not Hart Hanson I won't keep you guys waiting an entire summer! But don't get me wrong, I love HH I think his writing is fantabulistic! To borrow a phrase from Angela. HH is a freaking genius! Just get BB together already!**_

_**Ok rant over, hey keep those reviews coming!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**See I didn't keep you guys waiting too long did I? **_

_**Thank you everyone who added this story or me to your favorites, and added me to your story alerts. **_

_**Special shout out and thank you to **__**Evanjalin64**__** (no need to thank me, thank you for your support and reviews), **__**hot4booth**__** , **__**Tartantrace, Lunalovesbones**__** (I've written a whole bunch of other BB fics, check them out at my profile page), **__**horseninja**__**, bones35, sassybee, **__**aracely6**__**, Ger (glad to know you agree with me about HH and BB on the show), **__**chicanita11.**_

Brennan arrived at their agreed upon meeting spot. It was just like her dreams, the bench, the coffee cart, but no Booth. She told herself it was still early and not to worry. Unlike her dreams she felt too nervous to consume anything so she gave the coffee a miss. She did take her seat on the bench however. Like her dream, she watched the world go by. Did anyone else realize how important, how significant this day would be for her?

How long she sat waiting, she didn't know, but when she felt a little hungry, she glanced at her watch. It was way past lunch. She wondered if she should go buy a sandwich, but didn't want to risk missing Booth. The hour also made her anxious. Was her dream going to become reality? Nervousness drowned out her hunger as she continued to wait.

The afternoon sun began to dip and she feared that he would not show.

Then she saw him. Still in his Army fatigues, he was a distance away but there was no mistaking him. Those familiar brown eyes. The relief that washed over her made the tears she had been holding back all day roll down her cheeks. _He was safe!_ That was all that mattered.

He had been partially obscured by the people around but as he walked closer she realized he was walking with the aid of a walking stick. His left arm was in a sling. She stood, her heart beating wildly. He had been injured after all. The wait was too much and she closed the distance between them in a few strides.

They stood eye to eye a few feet from each other. Neither said a word. There was a strange emptiness in his eyes, and it made her even more anxious.

Booth had been waiting for this moment since he walked out of her hospital room. And now it was happening, it was reality, there she was. A part of him wanted to jump for joy that she hadn't stood him up but another part, the part that had been in action, at war for the past six months, hesitated, unsure. Was he still worthy of her?

Did he risk too much in asking for her to wait? Had he lost her to something, someone else?

Brennan sensed his hesitancy and recognized that she had to be the one to make the first move, to take the initiative. A small gesture, she offered him a smile, then held her arms open, welcoming him home.

That small gesture was all he needed. He hobbled the one step towards her and fell into her waiting arms. They stood, motionless, clinging to each other, as if breaking their embrace would cause them their lives. She felt a dampness on her shoulder and realized that he was crying.

She gently pushed him, and he lifted his head. In all their years as partners she had never seen him cry so openly. She wept along with him, unsure of the reason for his tears. She took his hand in hers, and he allowed her to lead him to a waiting cab. This was too public a place for them, so she took him home with her.

They made the journey home in silence, but his hand never left hers. He allowed her to pay for the cab ride, then lead him back to her apartment. It was night when she unlocked her door and they walked in. His hand still in hers, she led him to her couch and he sat, grateful for the rest. She could tell he was in pain, both physical and emotional.

Again, she was the one to make the first move, to break the silence.

"Would you like something to drink? Some water?" She stood, his hand dropping from hers.

She heard his voice calling for her as she turned towards her kitchen.

"Bones!"

She returned to him, only to have him take her hand again, pulling her to sit beside him.

"Don't, don't leave. Please."

His evident need for her scared her but she stayed, allowing him time to formulate the words he needed to say to her in his head.

"I ah, I'm sorry I made you wait so long."

She shook her head indicating she hadn't minded waiting, not realizing his double meaning.

"I almost couldn't make it, those Army doctors saying I wasn't fit to fly. But I had to, I had to. I made a promise to you."

She placed a hand on his knee but quickly pulled away as he winced. "What happened?"

"We drove right into a land mine, got ambushed. It was shrapnel." He nodded to his leg. "Got busted up pretty bad, they stitched me up, popped my shoulder back in place, gave me pain meds."

"You dislocated your shoulder?"

"Yeah. Cracked some ribs. Maybe I'll get them to send you my X-rays. You could take a look at them huh?"

"Of course."

"I - "Booth winced.

"Maybe you should lie down." She nodded to the small bag Booth had with him. "You have any painkillers?"

"Yeah but I can't. They wouldn't let me come home, said I needed to rest up some more but I signed some papers, you know to say if anything happened to me on the way home it wouldn't be their fault."

"You shouldn't have."

"It was a promise I made Bones. And I can't take me meds I need to be clear headed."

He was hurting, but he had to get the words out, he had to let her know how he felt. He had to know if she would still have him. That moment, all his defenses cam crumbing down, Everything he was holding back came out in a rush. He opened himself to her again and hoped she wouldn't scrape his heart raw again.

"I am so sorry Bones. Please say you thought about us, Cos I thought about us alot, and us, there's nothing I want more than for there to be together. Please say you'll forgive me. I hurt you, and I shouldn't have. I honestly thought it was for the best. Forgive me Bones."

"There's nothing to forgive."

"I was afraid. Afraid you'll hurt me, afraid I wouldn't make it back from Afghanistan, afraid to lose you, I was a coward."

"No you did the right thing. You're no coward. You were right, we would have rushed in to things, its better this way and now I'm sure. I thought about us, about you, our future. This is what I want. I want us to be together."

Booth couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Really?"

"Yes."

"That's it?"

"We've made things so complicated for six years already, it's time we simplified it."

"I – when I was there, after Indonesia, it was like they were punishing me for taking off to find you, I was thrown into every assignment they could think of. I killed them Bones, people I didn't know about, people who looked me in the eye before they died. People who didn't know I was watching them through my rifle, about to end their lives. I took so many lives…"

"Then I'll help you catch more bad guys to even out your cosmic balance sheet. We can be us again, Booth and Brennan, partners."

They stared into each others' eyes, the tension and awkwardness seeming to have lessened.

"I'm not sure if I'm the same man."

"I love you Booth, nothing's going to change that."

He broke into his first smile since he got home.

"I love you too Bones. Nothing's gonna change that too. But I need you to be sure. I haven't got my job at the FBI back, I have no place to stay – "

"Stay here. I know you've been through a lot. Stay here and we'll work things out."

"I – " Booth wanted to say they were rushing into things, wanted to say he didn't want to be living off her, wanted to be the man she deserved.

"I want to give this a chance." She looked so sincere, so hopeful. She used the same words he had.

Why was he stalling again? Wasn't this what he had always wanted? He didn't come home from war physically and emotionally unscathed but they had wasted enough time. He would have to talk to Sweets, get his job back, make up to being apart form Parker for a year but he wouldn't waste anymore time when it came to her.

Time to man up, she was finally ready, and so would he.

"So do I."

They exchanged wide smiles and he pulled her to him, holding her to his heart, then tipping her head to his in a passionate kiss.

What's a year? The time it takes for the earth to make a revolution around the sun. The time it takes for two hearts, once damaged and hurting to become one, whole and healed, ready to start life afresh together.

_**And that's it guys. We're done! Thanks for sticking around, thanks for reading and reviewing. **_

_**If you must know I'm already working on the first chapter of another BB story. (As if I'll write anything else!) It'll be longer than this one I think, and it'll have to have an M rating to be safe. So stay tuned and watch for it. **_

_**And again, thank you for your amazing support! Don't forget to review on your way out!**_


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